The Woodin Lab is focused on understanding the functioning of inhibitory synapses, both at the cellular level and within neuronal circuits. We employ a multi-disciplinary approach combining electrophysiology, biochemistry, fluorescence imaging, computation biology and bioinformatics to understand how synapses are built, the mechanisms that underlie their plasticity, and their role in neuronal circuits. Using principles we learn from the study of the healthy brain we unravel mechanisms that lead to neurological disorders and dieseases, including autism spectrum disorder, Huntington’s disease and ALS.